You're Going to be Okay
by Brit98
Summary: My lungs filled with water as my body breathed in. The feeling was one of the most horrible things imaginable. My body tingled, not just from the cold water, but from the lack of oxygen as well. The last thing I saw was a silhouette swimming towards me. I reached my tied hands towards it before blacking out. Humanstuck
1. Chapter 1

You're Going to be Okay

Chapter 1

Kankri's POV

It was quiet. I liked quiet but this was too quiet. It had been a while since I saw any of them and I was getting scared. Was this the calm before the storm?

I quickened my pace as I passed the park. I just wanted to get home safely for once. Maybe even complain about the trigonometry homework like every else. What made them hate me? Why was I a bad form of different in their eyes? Different was supposed to be good.

Stopping suddenly, I thought I heard whispers. I held my breath, listening intently. All that was heard was the trickling of the park fountain. I could feel the cool, crisp fall air nipping at my skin through my bright red turtleneck. My hair blew in the wind and I could now hear crunchy leaves drag across the ground. I was so tense that if one hit me in the face, I'd run screaming.

Returning to my fast walk, I rounded the corner to come face to face with _her_. "Hello runt." she spat, reeking of booze and obviously drunk. It was all I could do to keep from gagging on the smell. "What do you want Meenah?"  
"Nothing," she lied, giving me an evil smile then grabbing my shoulders and holding me in the air, "Other than to give you what you deserve!" I struggled in her grasp, desperately wanting out of it.

Pushing me into the wall of the park's basketball court, Meenah continued to smile. "Where are the others?" I asked, fearing for my life. She was never this drunk when her and her friends beat on me and after those beatings, I barely escaped with my life. "Don't worry. They're here!"

Before I knew it, I was thrown in the air and into someone's arms. I looked up to see nothing but clown makeup and I felt myself pale. Kurloz made a soft honk before tossing me to the next friend- Aranea.

I was tossed around between the three friends, feeling sick to my stomach. "Alright guys," I heard a voice come from the tree above, "Let's just do what we were planning to do before someone see's us. What do you think doll?"  
"let us drown the kid already" I heard a girl voice come from the tree in a thick Japanese accent.  
"Wait, what?" I asked, getting more terrified by the minute, "what do you mean drown?" I could only make out that word and I knew that today I was going to die.

I saw Aranea, who was holding me at the time, smile and show her pointy teeth. "Come on kiddo, let's go!" the spider girl mocked. My eyes went wide and I did something I was taught not to do; I punched her. The moment she dropped me, I ran for my life.

Running- feet pounding, arms pumping, heart racing, eyes darting, body ready to change direction at any moment. I tried to get as far away from that fountain as possible but what I did probably marked my death; I ran towards the ocean. Realizing quickly the possibly fatal mistake I just made, I tried to change directions but I was surrounded.

Quickly stopping, I watched everyone's momentum keep them going and turned around to run the other direction. As I turned, I was grabbed by the back collar of my turtleneck. I gagged as it choked me. "Not so fast. We're not done playing." Rufioh said, slamming me face first into the ground and tying my hands together above my head and feet behind me. He handed me off to Kurloz, who immediately slung me over his shoulder. "We were going to do the drown in fountain," Damara said in broken English.  
"But thank you for the great idea!" Meenah added. I could smell booze on all of them now.

I opened my mouth to start shouting, but as if Aranea read my mind, she tied a rope around my head, gagging me. I made muffled sounds, trying to ask why they hated me so. No one paid attention to me as they walked towards the ocean. Kurloz's fingers were jabbing me in the side; it hurt a lot.

Once we reached the ocean shore, Kurloz let me fall to the ground. I let out a hiss of pain, not paying attention to their cruel laughter. I knew it was all over. There was no way I'd get out of this alive. It would take a miracle.

I felt my feet weighed down by a weight Damara tied to them. Rufioh, being the strongest, had to carry me out into the ocean. The others followed, smiling all the way. Untying my gag, Rufioh let the rope fall in the water. "Any last words mutant?" he asked. I knew it was rhetorical but I answered anyways.  
"Wh-why do you hate me so much?" he laughed,  
"Why not? You're annoying, worthless, and let's not forget you're the reason my Horuss died!" I saw anger in Rufioh's eyes. Ever since the accident, he was never the same.  
"I told you, it wasn't my fault!" I said, feeling sympathy for him again, "I wasn't even driving! Mituna lost his life too!"  
"Then why you? Why did you get to continue living?" I could see tears in his eyes; tears that refused to fall.  
"I don't know. They were both drunk like you guys are now. I already said how sorry I am that had to happen."  
"That's not good enough!"

I heard another shout come from the beach and heard everyone except Rufioh scatter. Rufioh wanted revenge, he wanted blood. He was hurt and it was my fault. "Put him down Rufioh!" a familiar voice screamed.  
"Put him down?" Rufioh laughed in response, not turning around and blocking my view, "Gladly!"

I felt Rufioh throw me into the deeper part of the ocean. Hitting the water hard, the weight Damara tied to my feet bringing me down. I didn't have time to hold my breath so I was running out of air fast. I struggled against the ropes.

My lungs filled with water as my body breathed in. The feeling was one of the most horrible things imaginable. My body tingled, not just from the cold water, but from the lack of oxygen as well. The last thing I saw was a silhouette swimming towards me. I reached my tied hands towards it before blacking out.

* * *

Cronus's POV

I loved having a house on the Oceanside; being in the water always felt right to me. Now I'm happier than ever that I was so close to the ocean.

I was doing my debate homework. I was having trouble so I thought Kankri could help me. He was always good at that subject. It was one of the many classes I had with him.

Picking up my cell phone, I hit his speed dial number and listened to it ring. "Kankri, chief," I said, hearing a click, "I have a qu-"  
"This is Kankri's phone." I heard his voicemail say, making me smile, "Sorry that I didn't answer my phone. Please leave a message and I'll return the call. Promise." the phone clicked again as I stood up and walked to my window that was facing the ocean, "Hey chief, it's me. Had a question about the debate homework. Question number..." my voice trailed off as my eyes went wide.

In the moonlight, I could just barely make out five- no six- bodies; one of those being in the arms of another. The body was being held roughly and the person had a bright red sweater on. "Actually," I said, remembering the voicemail, "scratch that. I have to go beat someone up." I ended the call and quickly emptied my pockets onto my bed. "I'm coming Kankri," I muttered to myself, running down the hallway, past my little brother's door, and out the front.

"Hey!" I shouted, running across the sandy shore as fast as it would let me. Four people looked up and scattered, splashing water as they ran from the water. "Put him down Rufioh," I demanded, forgetting how deep we were in the water. It's a good thing I emptied my pockets because the water was up to my chest. "Put him down?" I heard Rufioh laugh, refusing to turn around, "Gladly!"

As Rufioh threw Kankri out farther, I tackled him. "You drunk, son of a fish!" I shouted at him, quickly diving after a sinking Kankri. When I found him, he was starting to go limp and my heart sped up. I grabbed his tied up outstretched hands and untied them. Moving quickly, I managed to untie his legs from the weight as well.

I held the small teen lifeguard style and swam to the surface as quickly as I could. Breaking the surface, I gasped for air. Rufioh was nowhere to be seen. "Chief," I said, shaking Kankri a little, "hey chief, wake up." he wasn't breathing. Taking him to the surface, I felt for a pulse to find a weak one that was fading fast. I immediately started performing CPR and after a few times, I heard Kankri cough.

Smiling, I turned him over to his side to let the water exit his body. "C-Cronus?" he asked weakly, eyes opened slightly.  
"Hey there," I replied, running a hand through his hair to soothe him. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe; I've got you now."

I picked up the weak, shivering Kankri and cradled him in my arms. "You're going to be okay Kankri," I said softly, feeling him lean into me, "you're going to be okay."


	2. Chapter 2

You're Going to be Okay

Chapter 2

Kankri's POV

I didn't expect to wake up. I expected cold, darkness, or even nothingness. What I got was surprising to say the least.

I felt my body stir before my eyes fluttered open. The lights were dimmed but I could see that I was in a familiar room yet it wasn't mine. I tried to push myself up to a sitting position, but I was too weak and fell back to the bed I was in.

Looking around the room, I saw that it was medium in size but didn't have much room due to a bed, desk with laptop, and a dresser taking up most of it. The bed was neatly made with multiple covers- some bundled around me- and was cozy. Turning my head to the right, I saw a sleeping body stir awake at my attempt to sit up and I fell out of the bed, making a soft "eeping" noise.

Head hitting the floor, I hissed in pain as the person in bed sat straight up. "Kankri, you're awake!"  
"C-Cronus?" I asked, completely confused.  
"Oh man, chief, are you okay?" he inquired, quickly jumping out of bed and helping me to my feet- slipping an arm under mine.  
"Cronus?" I repeated, trying to make sense of this. He gave me a worried look.

Setting me down on the bed, he took my face in his hands and studied me. I normally would have protested to this action, but I was curious to what he was looking for. He frowned, "You may have a slight concussion from earlier but I believe you'll be alright. You coughed or puked all the water up earlier."  
"What?" I didn't remember anything past the horrible feeling of inhaling water, but I did remember the accident that claimed two lives was involved.  
"What exactly do you remember?" he asked, sitting on the bed next to me, still studying my actions. I squirmed under his gaze.  
"Nothing really," I replied, making his frown deepen, "Just dying, or at least I think I was dying. Am... Am I dead?" Cronus smirked before shaking his head,  
"no. You were close, but I pulled you out in time."

The image of the dark silhouette from the night before flashed in my memory. "y-you saved me?" I asked, voice cracking a little. It felt raw and hurt a lot. All I could taste was salty water. Cronus smiled softly,  
"Of course. If I didn't, who would have?"

Cronus' face went from relief to concern as soon as tears started to fall. He pulled me into a hug, shooshing me and rubbing my back calmly, "It's alright Kankri, you're safe now." I felt his hug tighten as I hugged back and burrowed my face into his shirt.  
"It's all my fault," I cried.  
"No it's not," he replied, knowing very well what I was talking about.  
"yes it is. If I had driven that day, no one would have died."  
"Chief, no one could've saw that coming. We're lucky you made it out alive."  
"I wish I hadn't," I muttered, hoping he hadn't heard me.

Cronus froze before pulling me away to look at me. He had a look of hurt, grief, and a hint of anger painted across his face. "Don't say that Kankri. There's a reason you're still alive after two near death experiences. We may not know what yet, but there's a reason!" I looked away, unable to meet his gaze, trying to hide how pathetic I looked. He grabbed my chin and gently turned my head so I was looking at him.

I could see a tiny reflection in his purple eyes. My fire eyes were red rimmed, my face was pretty pale, lips were chapped, and my hair was everywhere. I looked down to avert my eyes when I noticed I was wearing different clothes then the day before. "Where are my clothes?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I started blushing madly when I realized that because I had different clothes on, my old ones were removed. He laughed at this reaction, "They're in the wash. Don't worry, my dad changed you." Cronus' dad was a doctor so I sighed in relief before getting anxious,  
"wait, your dad? He knows what happened?" Cronus nodded, obviously confused. "Oh man," I said, starting to freak out, "They're going to kill me for real this time once they find out an adult knows!"  
"Kank, how long has this been going on and how many people actually know?" I squirmed once more  
"Since I returned to school after the accident. As for the people who know, not including Aranea, Kurloz, Rufioh, Damara, and Meenah, you and now your dad." he swore,  
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"  
"If I did, they said they would kill me but it looks like it was too late for that. Now they're going to actually kill me this time."

By now I was hyperventilating and starting to shake; I was terrified. Cronus wrapped a blanket around me and started hugging again. He was warm and his embrace was comforting. "It's going to be okay," he said softly, starting to rock back and forth, "I won't let them hurt my best friend ever again." Exhaustion was starting to take hold and Cronus' warm embrace and calming methods all brought a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Cronus' POV

Once Kankri finally fell asleep, I carefully slipped out from under him. I was still tired, but I had stuff to do. I knew his dad didn't care about him and his brother, but I still thought it would be best to call him. At least if Karkat asked, he would find out his brother was safe. Karkat acted like his brother was a pain, but he did truly care.

Unplugging my phone, I exited my room, careful not to wake Kankri. I frowned when I saw the sleeping teen on my way out. He's slept over before but never because of this. He shouldn't have to fear for his life. He should feel safe to walk home, to school, or around by himself.

Once outside my room, I started dialing the Vantas home as I made my way down the stairs and to the kitchen. "Hello?" a gruff voice answered.  
"Mr. Vantas?" I asked, "it's Cronus Ampora."  
"Who?"  
"Cronus Ampora."  
"Yeah, what do you want?"  
"Uhm, just wanted let you know that Kankri, your _son_, is over here." I emphasized son to remind him that's what Kankri was.  
"Yeah alright, whatever." He sounded drunk.  
"Mr. Vantas, do you know why he's over here?"  
"No, and don't care."  
"I think you should care! Do you realize that your son, your oldest _son_, has almost just been killed?" I seethed. I never liked his dad, but ever since Kankri's mom died, his father drank more, cared less, and made me furious. It was his job to take care of his children.  
"Wow really? Hold on, let me show you how worried I am!" the phone clicked off. I stood there for a few minutes before setting my phone on the living room coffee table and falling back onto the couch.

I don't know how much time had passed, but my dad had come home from store and woke me up. "Hey, wake up," he said, softly shaking me, "Go to bed." I opened my eyes and nodded, pushing myself up. He already knew about Kankri and he was the one that decided he was to spend the night. He wouldn't have found out if he hadn't watched me from the window when I ran out of the house. I hadn't planned on telling him what Kankri went through but someone had to change him and look him over for any other injuries.

I staggered to my room, basically crawling up the stairs. Opening my door, I saw that Kankri was still fast asleep. I stripped off my shirt and crawled into bed. Kankri rolled over and curled up into me; he was cold. I smiled and pulled a blanket over us, putting an arm around him. "Sweet dreams Kankri," I muttered, soon joining him in his peaceful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

You're Going to be Okay

Chapter 3

Cronus' POV

When I woke up, Kankri was still curled up next to me sleeping. It was light outside and I remember vaguely that my dad came in around six, telling us that we were both to stay home. If he hadn't, I probably would have skipped anyways. Kankri obviously wasn't well enough to go to school and I wasn't about to leave him home alone.

Climbing out of bed, I was careful to let Kankri continue sleeping. He was pretty weak and looked sickly yesterday. Some colour had returned to his face this morning, but only enough to make him look like he wasn't about to pass out.

Once I checked my phone, I set it down on my desk. I decided to read the messages later. I left my room, leaving the door open, and went down the stairs. Eridan was at school so I didn't have to worry about feeding him.

I tried to be quiet while pulling out stuff to make breakfast with. It may be two in the afternoon, but I was hungry for breakfast stuff. Grabbing my dad's apron, I put it on while making a face. "Kiss the grill master (that's me!)" was written on it. It was a gift from my mom to my dad while they were still together. I wouldn't be wearing it if I had a shirt on. Can't risk getting grease splattered on my skin.

Busy making pancakes and bacon, I didn't notice when Kankri stumbled in to the kitchen. Only after I tried to flip a pancake like a chef on the television and it landed on my head did I realize he was there. He started giggling and I blushed out of embarrassment, but smiled. It had been a while since I heard him giggle or laugh for that matter.

"Good morning chief!" I said, taking the pancake off my head, "sleep well?" He nodded, still giggling slightly. I gave him a plate of pancakes- not including the one that fell on my head- and bacon. Turning back to the griddle, I heard him try to eat the food before being interrupted with a coughing fit. I frowned. _'So his throat is still scratchy and sore'_ I thought, getting him a glass tea and some cold medicine. "Here," I said softly, "Make sure you take this. It'll help you from feeling like total crap."

He took the medicine and tea from me, nodding me a thanks, and downing the medicine to avoid the taste. He made a gaging noise and a disgusted face before sipping on the tea. "I would have given you something else to drink," I told him, "but dad said that tea is best when you have a sore throat. Besides, I don't think you would have wanted water." he laughed slightly, looking into his cup before returning to eat. "Feel any better?" I asked, feeling as if I were interrogating him. He nodded,  
"A little. I can kind of walk so that's an upside." I nodded as well, returning to griddle once more.

Once I finished cooking my breakfast, I went over and sat next to Kankri. He looked as if he were about to fall asleep where he was sitting. The colour had gone once more from his face and that worried me. I moved his hair out of his face with my hand and felt his head. "You've got a slight fever chief." he shook his head, moving my hand away with his.  
"I'll be fine." I frowned once more.  
"Come on, back to bed!" I said picking him up bridal style.  
"Cronus, put me down!" he demanded. I laughed,  
"Not a chance! If you're too weak to eat, you're too weak to walk up the stairs. How'd you get down anyways?"  
"I slid down..." he answered, no longer fighting me.

Carrying him up the stairs, I watched as he fell asleep. His breathing while sleeping sounded as if he were purring. I put him in bed once more, covering him up, and left to go take care of the dishes.

* * *

Kankri's POV

_"Hey little man!" a voice came, making a reference to my height. I turned around smiling,_  
_"Hey 'Tuna! It's about time you showed up!" I was kidding around of course and he knew that._  
_"Thorry," he lisped, "Had a little too much to drink."_

_Mituna had a loopy smile on and his walk was staggered. I could smell the alcohol from his breath and could see that he looked like he was about to fall over any moment. "I'll be fine though." he added, still smiling. I gave him a worried look._  
_"maybe I should drive. You're a little too... Intoxicated." I offered, choosing my words carefully._  
_"nah, don't worry. I'm perfectly fine! Let'th go!"_

_Ever since Mituna's girlfriend Latula died in a freak skateboard accident, he's been drinking more. He says he could stop when he wanted and it wouldn't hurt him anymore than he's already hurt, but I know one day it'll be his undoing. Mituna had gone into deep depression when Latula died. He wouldn't do anything other than sleep and eat. It's take a while and a lot of effort, but he's almost back to his old self. I know he'll never fully get back and that's okay. He lost someone special._

_Driving down the road, I kept a watchful eye on both Mituna and the road. We were on our way to Porrim's house to work on a school project with her, Cronus, and Meulin. It was an art project where we had to demonstrate different forms of art. Cronus had sports, Meulin had sign language, Porrim had fashion, Mituna was emotion with painting, and I had speeches. It was all planned._

_As we drove down the road, I noticed we were slowly driving off to the side. I grabbed the wheel quickly with one of my hands and stabilized us. Mituna didn't seem to care; that or he didn't notice. We were almost to Porrim's house, just down the road in fact, when we heard tires squealing and Mituna started to freak out. I heard a crunch and the airbags deployed before everything went black._

_I woke up later hearing nothing but a heart monitor's rhythmic beeping. My eyes opened and I saw I was in a hospital. "Wh-what?" I squeaked, completely confused. The room was empty except for a hospital bed, the heart monitor, an IV- which I was hooked up to- and a television set. No one was present._

_Looking around, I saw that there was something that resembled a remote on the heart monitor. Weakly, I picked it up and pressed a button that said help. It made a shrill beeping sound which made me drop it to cover my ears._

_Within seconds, someone ran into my room. "oh my gosh! You're awake!" the lady shouted, making me close my eyes tightly. Her words sent pain through my head. "Sorry," she apologised softly "I'm your nurse, Jade." she walked over to me and studied my face. "You're still pretty pale and you have a pretty high fever but that's probably from the coma."_  
_"C-coma?" she nodded as if she expected that answer._  
_"Yep. You've been in a coma for about a month now." I shook my head, regretting the action because it only brought pain,_  
_"That can't be true! I was just on my way to Porrim's with Mituna for a project. We were driving when... Oh no. No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening!"_

_I started tearing up when I realized what this lady said was true. Putting my head in my hands, I started hyperventilating as hot tears slid down my face. I was crying so bad that I didn't even hear the door open. There was no way Mituna would have survived the crash and the nurse knew I knew that._

_I felt a hand rub my back and then pull me into a hug. Lifting my head, I saw Cronus hugging me with tears in his eyes as well. "Hey chief," he said softly, smiling through the tears, "it's about time you're awake. How do you feel?" By then I started sobbing. His hug tightened and I felt as if I've seen this all before. Porrim and Meulin would come through the door any minute._

_The door burst open and I jumped. Something didn't feel right. I could feel that this wasn't supposed to happen. "Where is he?" someone yelled, storming into my room, "where is the one who's responsible?" Fear struck me and froze my body as Rufioh pounded up to me and took me by the shirt collar, "You're dead Vantas, you hear me? DEAD!"_

_I looked around for help to find the scenery had changed and we were in the middle of the ocean. "Time to die! This time, you'll die for real!" Rufioh shouted in my ear, shaking me around before holding me underwater. Water went up my nose and I involuntarily snorted it up. The harsh teen laughed at my coughing when he brought me out of the water before shoving me back under. '_

_It's just a dream, just a dream.' I repeated to myself, lungs filling with water._

_I could feel all strength fading from my body once more as my vision started to go black. Suddenly, I was yanked out of the water and thrown around. The water sloshed around in my lungs and I knew this was his plan. He was torturing me until the very end. "Once you're dead, I'm going for the rest of your friends. They're guilty by association!" Rufioh laughed, starting to resemble a fairy, but an evil one with horns and pointy teeth. "It's time you pay!"_

I sat up in the bed screaming bloody murder.


	4. Chapter 4

You're Going to be Okay

Chapter 4

Cronus' POV

The moment I heard Kankri scream, I dropped what I was doing and ran upstairs. I didn't think Rufioh would skip school and break into my house just to hurt him, but I wasn't taking any chances. I hoped it was just a bad dream.

Opening my door, I saw Kankri jump and hide under the blankets. I could see him shaking like a little kid. I went over and hugged him, pulling the blankets off his head just enough for him to see who I was. The moment he did, he hugged me and started sobbing. "H-he's dead," I heard him mutter as my heart sank, "and i-it's all-l my fa-ault!"

Ever since Kankri woke up from his coma, he had dreams about the accident. They always started out true, but turned worse as the dream progressed. He kept blaming himself for not taking authority and driving so he said he was being punished for it in the dreams. I only know about of few of them because, well, Kankri's a very closed person.

"Hey, it's okay," I comforted, "It's not anyone's fault. You saw the tape." Down the road from Porrim's house, which was where they were heading, there's a street camera. The camera's footage showed that although Mituna's driving was terrible and he was swerving all around, he didn't cause the accident. Apart from driving while drunk and drinking underage, he was following the law when it came to driving. The accident was caused by Rufioh and Horuss when Rufioh ran a stoplight.

"even if I didn't drive like I should have, I should have been watching the road for Mituna. It's everyone's job when they're riding with him." Kankri cried,  
"I know but you're not to blame. Rufioh ran the red light. Rufioh caused the accident and didn't get justice because no one cared. They didn't realize that there are people who care. They didn't realize that we care." I stopped talking because I knew I was starting to preach to him. Instead, I just resumed comforting my friend.

* * *

Kankri's POV

I finally calmed down but that didn't mean my thoughts had changed. It was still all of my fault and I couldn't change that. I wish I could, but I couldn't. Mituna and Horuss were dead and they weren't coming back.

"You okay chief?" Cronus asked, still hugging me. I nodded in response but didn't look at him. I didn't want to see the disappointment in his eyes. We sat like that for a few more minutes before Cronus' phone went off. I let go of him as he slid off the bed and answered it. "Hello? Yes this is Cronus Ampora. What, really?" he sighed and I looked at him, listening to the one sided conversation. He ran a hand through his hair while listening then glanced at me. "Yeah we'll be there in five minutes." he ended the call and pocketed his phone.

Going over to his closet, he pulled on a clean shirt and a jacket before looking at me, "come on, I'm not leaving you here alone."  
"Where are we going?" I asked, standing up and following him down the hall and out the front door.  
"We have to go pick up my brother. Apparently someone was picking on another kid in art and he stepped in. The bully ended up painting Eridan's hair purple." he sounded mad, and he every right to be, so I didn't say anything as we got to his car.

I hesitated when I went to open the door. I hadn't ridden in a car since the accident. I stared at the door handle, trying to gain enough courage to reach for it. "Chief?" Cronus asked, coming around the car to me, "you okay?" I nodded and forced myself to reach for the handle. _quit being a sissy_ I told myself, getting in. Cronus had a look I've never seen before plastered on his face while rounding the car and getting in. "are _you_ okay?" I asked, this time my turn to be worried. He nodded his head,  
"I'm just worried about the kid Eridan stood up for. They didn't give me a name but I have a feeling I know who it is." He glanced at me as if it was a clue.

My mind raced with ideas of who it was on our way there. I swore and ran out of the car as soon as we got to the elementary school because it clicked. Cronus was a few steps behind me as I made my way to the office. Once there, my breath hitched. "Kankri?" Karkat asked, holding an ice pack to his head, "how did you get here so fast?" I knelt down to my brother and hugged him,  
"What happened?" I asked softly.  
"Equius," he said looking away.

I heard Cronus let out an angry sigh. Karkat and I looked up at him. He looked really mad and I was too. I understood that Equius was upset his brother was gone, but he didn't have to take it out on Karkat. "where's Eridan?" he asked Karkat, who just nodded towards the staff bathroom. Cronus walked into the bathroom.  
"I'm sorry Karkat," I apologized to him, "It's my fault you're getting picked on." Karkat shook his head,  
"No it isn't. You didn't cause the crash. Tavros's brother did." I gave him a sad smile before hugging him again.

The staff bathroom door opened and Cronus and Eridan came out, Cronus drying Eridan's hair with paper towels. From the looks of it, they could get all but a purple stripe in the front out. "Ow!" Eridan yelped as Cronus tried to pull the paint off, "that hurt!"  
"Sorry little man. Don't know how that part stuck so much. You'll have to wait until your hair gets longer to cut it out."  
Karkat stood up and walked over to Eridan.  
"Um, thanks for helping me back there." He said to him, "That really helped and I'm sorry you got paint in your hair." Eridan shrugged, keeping his face empty of expression.  
"No problem and I kinda like the purple streak. Maybe I'll be able to convince my dad to let me dye it like that."  
"Don't count on it little man. Dad will never agree to that."

The way the kids talked together made me realise that they weren't friends before this. There was no doubt that they'd be friends after this though and that made me happy. Karkat didn't make friends easily as is, and after the accident, pretty much everyone alienated him. Well everyone except Porrim and Meulin's sisters- Kanaya and Nepeta. "Are you two ready?" Cronus asked, "We need to go sign you out."  
"I have to wait for my dad," Karkat answered, looking at the ground.  
"He's not coming," Cronus replied, making both of us look at him with confusion, "When the office called me, they asked if your brother could come as well. They couldn't reach your father." Karkat nodded, ignoring the fact that our dad didn't care. He just followed Cronus out the door to the main office.

When out in the main office, a different secretary was sitting there. She smiled at us, "Hi, I'm Mrs. Lalonde. Do you need to sign these two out?"  
"Yes ma'am, that'd be great," Cronus responded. Mrs. Lalonde handed him a sheet and a pen.  
"I'll tell you what," she said, watching him sign our siblings out, "I've never seen someone stand up to a bully like that. He's already gone home, but the way it looked, he's need to get some new glasses. Both boys ended up fighting back and it was amazing." I looked at Karkat who looked away. Cronus returned the paper and pen, thanking the secretary before exiting the building, all of us following him.

Once outside, I looked at Karkat again, "You didn't tell me you fought back as well." He shrugged,  
"I didn't want you to freak out."  
"Freak out? Why would I freak out?"  
"Because you always do?"  
"No I don't!"  
"You do tend to freak out," Cronus butted in, opening the car door as Eridan and Karkat climbed in. I stuck my tongue out at him.  
"I do not!"  
"Suuuure," he dragged out, walking around the car to get in on the other side, "Whatever you say chief." When he got in, I pushed him playfully.  
"Hey! Not nice!" He replied, pushing back. I heard Karkat and Eridan giggle in the back. We both turned around,  
"Something funny?" Cronus asked, making them both shake their heads, smiling. He shrugged and started the car.

When we pulled up to our apartment, Karkat climbed out of the car. As I started to follow his lead, I was pulled back into the car, "Oh no," Cronus said, "You're not leaving just yet. Dad want's to check you over when he gets home. If you go now, I won't be able to get you out of the house again."  
"Cronus, I'll be fine. Besides I have homework."  
"You still look pretty sick. As for the homework thing, I have homework as well; most of which are because you wanted me to take the classes with you. You're helping me with it." I pouted in my seat; he had a point.  
"Can Kar come over and hang out then?" Eridan asked Cronus who looked at him in the rearview mirror,  
"I don't see why not. It's not like I'm going to just force Kanrki to not go home and leave Karkat alone." Karkat smiled,  
"Let me go drop my backpack in my room." Cronus nodded, continuing to check all mirrors as my brother ran off. He looked like he was on guard for something. He looked scared.


	5. Chapter 5

You're Going to be Okay

Chapter 5

Cronus' POV

Karkat had finally came back and climbed in the back of the car. I kept an eye out for anyone but I started to drive away. After yesterday, I wasn't taking any chances. Especially not after Porrim texted that Rufioh and Kurloz didn't show up for school.

I saw Karkat hand Kankri his phone and Kankri nod a thanks. He started checking his phone and held it up to his ear. "Where were you when you saw what happened?" he asked, putting his phone down to his lap and looking at it.  
"In my room," I replied, getting up to speed and heading towards my house, "I needed help with the debate homework. We have a project due next week, remember?"  
"oh yeah..."

The car fell silent as I made my way home. We finally pulled up to the house a few minutes later and Karkat and Eridan ran to Eridan's room to do who know what. I'm just glad that Eridan has a friend. "We can go to my room seeing as how Eridan's gone to his," I suggested. He shrugged and followed me. I walked into my room and started rummaging through my back pack, "where is that paper?" I muttered to myself. Giving up on the backpack, I went to looking through my desk while Kankri strode over to the window, "Nice view." he commented. I made a hum in reply.

By now I was starting to get mad that I couldn't find the project paper. That had everything we needed on it. Due to the... Previous circumstances, our project date was pushed back to next week and we were running out of time.

Tapping my shoulder, Kankri hand me a paper. Taking it, I smiled, "Thanks chief!" I replied, setting the paper on the desk and started rereading the rules and requirements, "It looks like we have everything done with the project. Now we just have to finish the worksheets." Kankri plopped on my bed,  
"yeah. What's your question?" I picked up the homework sheet that was still where I left it before I ran out.  
"Question number eight," I replied, "what's a burden of proof?"  
"A burden of proof is when someone has to prove that there is a need for a good change. Like, we need a burden of proof for the way Rufioh's group acts..."  
"I see." I mumbled, writing it down before looking at him, "where's your part of the project?" he shrugged,  
"in my locker. It's not finished, but I can finish it within a matter of minutes."  
"Sheesh Kankri, why didn't you tell me? I would've stopped by on our way home!" he shrugged again and it was only then that I realized that he was trying to forget about it. He had a terrible fear of speaking in front of people so that was already hard enough, but his presentation was going to be like hell for him. "We can work on it on Monday. You'll be here until my dad gets home." he nodded, lying back with his eyes closed.

I walked over to Kankri to see he was paling again. "Stay here, alright?" I said softly, frowning. He nodded again as I walked out of my room and down to the kitchen. I quickly made some more tea, got the medicine my dad told me to give him, and headed upstairs to almost be knocked over by Eridan and Karkat. "Hey!" I cried out, almost spilling the tea everywhere, "careful!" they stop in their tracks,  
"sorry," Karkat apologized then looked at me, "Where's Kankri?"  
"He's in the room lying down. I'm bringing him medicine." he nodded  
"take care of my brother okay? He's all I have." I smiled but frowned as he ran off. His request was sad and I didn't take my promise lightly.

Walking into my room, I woke Kankri up enough to get his to take the medicine and drink the tea again. He didn't really object, but I could tell he didn't like the medicine. "Sorry chief," I responded, "you have to take is if you're going to get better." he nodded and laid back down once finished. I grimaced sympathetically as I brushed his bangs out of his eyes. It must be really hard to have survived by only seconds. He looked like he felt like crap.

* * *

Kankri's POV

I felt like crap and I knew Cronus knew it. My lungs were heavy, my throat was raw and scratchy, exhaustion was always present, and let's not forget the pounding headache and the fact that my skin was raw from where I was tied up! Cronus started messing with my hair to get it in place and I knew I needed a shower. I smelled like salt water and I could feel how grimy my hair was. I'm not one to care about whether my hair looks great or not, but this is ridiculous.

After a few minutes of lying there with my eyes closed, I sat up. "I need a shower," I muttered. He nodded and got up. "I'll get your original clothes. There should be towels in the bathroom." I thanked him and walked into the bathroom. His bathroom smelled clean; it was nice. Compared to our apartment, it was luxury. The bittersweet smell of bleach enveloped me. Sure, his things were everywhere, but it didn't reek of alcohol and didn't have bottles everywhere. I smiled as I got into the shower. The constant hot water stung my raw skin but it felt amazing and I didn't know if I would be able to pull myself out. After I was clean and had sat there for a few minutes, I shut the water off. Once out of the shower, I dried off and pulled my clothes on that had appeared on the counter. My pants were too big on me because they were given. I didn't have a belt so I had to settle with pulling them up to my chest. Thank goodness for Porrim's sweater.

Porrim Maryam, one of my few friends, had made me a bright red turtleneck sweater the moment she found out about my... Situation. She said that she wanted me to have something of my own instead of always wearing donated clothes. They smelled like the soap the Ampora household has. It smelled wonderful and I didn't want to take it home to ruin it.

I walked out of the bathroom, dirty clothes under my arm while drying my hair with a towel, to run right into Cronus. "Sorry chief," he apologized, picking up the fallen clothes, "was just coming to see if you died in there."  
"Sorry, it just felt really nice," I replied quietly. He was smiling as always. Does he ever frown? Is he ever upset?  
"No problem. Dad'll be home in an hour." I nodded and he took the towel from me, putting it and the clothes in a hamper. I followed him downstairs and into the living room. He plopped down on the couch, "want to play some video games?" he asked. I nodded again.

We both really sucked at video games so we chose something mildly easy: Mario Kart. After a while, we ended up turned around, falling off multiple times, and rage quitting the game. Switching to Mortal Kombat, we played that until Mr. Ampora came home. I didn't realise he was home until he whispered to me, "press square three times." Screaming and jumping on the couch, I watched both Amporas laugh. "T-to easy!" Mr. Ampora said,  
"That w-was mean d-dad!" Cronus replied, trying to stop laughing, "you know he gets s-scared easily!"

I glared at the two, feeling my cheeks get warm, as they stopped laughing. I was kind of jealous of their relationship, but I wasn't about to let them know that. "I'm going to go make sure Eridan and Karkat haven't killed each other," Cronus said, getting up from where he was sitting, "you do your doctor stuff." As he left, I shifted in my seat nervously. I knew Cronus' dad was a doctor, but I didn't feel the most comfortable around doctors, especially one I knew.

"It's kind of cold in here," I lied, trying to make an excuse when Mr. Ampora made a motion for me to take my shirt off. The truth was, it was really warm, I just didn't want to take my shirt off and expose things.  
"I need to listen to your heart and breathing." he replied, putting his stethoscope around his neck, "also, I need to reexamine those marks all over your body." My breath hitched.  
"M-marks?" I asked, fumbling over my words. He nodded, back to me as he dug through a bag for something.  
"Correct me if I'm wrong," he began, pulling a notebook out of the bag, "but these marks were here before your near death experience, were they not?" I stayed silent, "At first, I assumed they were just from, what's that boy's name? Rufioh?" he turned towards me, an extremely concerned look painting his face. I made another nervous shift, this time accompanied by messing with the cuff of my sleeve- a nervous habit I gained when I first received the sweater. It hurt a little where the ropes had been, but not enough to make me stop.

Mr. Ampora took notice of my nervousness and sighed, "Kankri, I can't make you do anything you don't want to do, but my job as a doctor and as my son's father is to see you happy and healthy." I nodded and did as told, not because I was letting him do his job, but became his words felt oddly comforting. The way he spoke made me feel... Wanted. I hadn't had that feeling after my mom died since Porrim gave me the sweater.

Quickly taking the opportunity, Cronus' dad pressed the stethoscope to my chest. The cool metal felt nice against my hot skin. "Breathe in, hold it for ten seconds, then release," he instructed. Doing as told, I saw him wince and I furrowed my brow. Moving the instrument to another place, I repeated the breathing and his reaction was the same as before. I knew my breathing was irregular, ragged, and it hurt, but I didn't think it was that bad...

Putting the tool away, Mr. Ampora jotted down a few things on a paper then wrote something on a small yellow slip and signed it, handing it to me. "It's a prescription for something called inhaled beta-agonist bronchodilator. It'll replace the surfactant." he told me,  
"Uhm... The what?" he chuckled,  
"the surfactant, it's the thin coating that bathes the inside of the lungs. It'll, hopefully, help your breathing become regular and stop any pain breathing brings."

Before I could respond, he pulled me into a hug, at which I stiffened. I didn't like being touched, even if this hug did feel reassuring. "You're free to go home, but come back if you need it. Even if it's in the middle of the night,"  
"Thanks..." I replied once he released me, voice trailing off in confusion.

Getting up and leaving, Mr. Ampora whispered something to Cronus as he came into the room. I watched as Cronus' face contorted from worry to anger. He whispered something back and I suddenly wished I had super hearing. I crossed my arms as he came over. "Hey chief," he said, sitting next to me, "Ready to go?" my stomach dropped,  
"s-sure," I replied, shaky.

It was the biggest lie of my life.


	6. Chapter 6

You're Going to be Okay

Chapter 6

**Trigger Warning: Violence**

Kankri's POV

"See you later!"  
"See ya chief."

I waved to Cronus as his car drove out of sight. Karkat was spending the night with Eridan so I had to take his bag with me. I was glad he was getting out and that he actually has something to do on a Friday for once. Turning around, my heart dropped to my stomach. I didn't want to go in; I didn't want to face him. I wanted to turn around and run away but I couldn't. I walked in.

The sour smell of the apartment building invaded my nostrils. I wish I was back at Cronus' house. Every step I took, every move I made, more and more fear shit through my body. I hated this feeling. I could smell the rankness of the alcohol from the main floor.

Climbing the stairs up to the third floor, the smell intensified as I walked to our apartment door. Opening the door as silently as possible, I hoped to slip in without being noticed by him. Like usual, luck was not on my side. "Hey there runt," a voice came as the door slammed shut, "where've ya been?" it was dark and I immediately went into a fighting stance out of habit. He chuckled, "Whoa there, calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!"  
"Leave me alone Jeff; you're drunk."  
"Not today little man, not today." I froze.

My father, Jeff Vantas, was an alcoholic and a dangerous one. While alcohol usually turns its users to happy, affectionate ones, it makes my father less violent. He was much scarier and more dangerous while sober than anything else. "Where's the pipsqueak?" he asked harshly. I didn't answer. Taking me by the shirt collar, he turned around and slammed me into the wall. It hurt, but not enough to make me give up my brother's safe place. Karkat needed Eridan as a friend, he needed a safe house, and I wasn't about to destroy that. "Talk! You know he's not allowed to go anywhere and after that little trick at school, he'd better fear for his life!"  
"Let go of me," I growled forcefully, making him laugh, "now!"  
"Why don't you fight back? I dare you!"

When my mom died of cancer, Jeff got really mad and said it was our fault. He'd beat us and if we fought back, he'd beat us even more. I would gladly take most of the beatings to keep Karkat from getting hurt. Usually it was better to pretend that he won, but not right now. Right now, I was fed up.

Bawling my hands into fists, I got ready to punch him. "Do it! I know you want to!" my father mocked. _'Don't listen to him'_ a voice in the back of my head told me _'think of Karkat'_ I stopped. Karkat always took priority in my life and I wouldn't do anything to endanger my little brother. He was the only family I had left. He was the only reason I continued to fight for my life.

Taking my hesitation as his chance, Jeff punched me in the nose and I could feel it crack. "Wuss," he spat, dropping me to my knees. I held my now bleeding nose, trying to make it stop. "S-screw off!" I sputtered, starting to shake from the loss of blood. I made my way to the bathroom as quickly as I could, just barely missing a beer bottle that had been thrown at me. "You should've stayed where you were!" he screamed, throwing more bottled, "you should've _died while you had the chance!_"

Hot tears streamed down my cheeks as I closed the bathroom door. They weren't just from the pain. He was right of course but I wouldn't let him know I believed that. Looking into the cracked mirror, I bit down on a towel and straightened my crooked nose out. It hurt more than anything I've ever felt and warm blood continued to flow. I wiped the mess off my face and shoved up as much toilet paper as it would allow, bandaging it quickly. I've never been more thankful for the first-aid class Porrim had me take.

Once cleaned up, I silently slipped out the bathroom window and into the fire escape. I sat there for a few minutes before making my way to my window. Climbing inside, I saw that my entire room had been ransacked. Jeff was obviously looking for something and as much as I hoped he didn't find whatever he was looking for, at that moment, I didn't care.

Stripping my sweater off, I looked at my back. It was starting to bruise, especially along my spine, and I knew it was going to hurt a lot tomorrow. I sighed, dressed in a loose T-Shirt, and fell into bed- careful not to hit my nose. Lying on my stomach, I slipped into the calm, peaceful darkness of sleep.

* * *

Cronus' POV

On my way home, I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. The further I drove, the more intense it got. Once I reached the park, I stopped the car. Sighing, I pulled my mobile phone out. "Hey, is ewvery thing alright there Chief?" I texted, keeping to my old accented quirk, to get no reply. Turning the car around, I headed back to the apartments. _'I swear Kankri- if anyone's hurt you again, I'm going to kill them.'_

Pulling up, I hopped out of the car and ran inside. After pounding on the door a few times, it swung open. "Who are you and what to you want?" the man in the doorway demanded.  
"Mr. Vantas?" I asked, taking a step back from the smell that radiated off the man,  
"yeah, who are you?"

Mr. Vantas didn't use to look the way he looked so I guess that was the reason for my confusion. He used to be tall, lean, and handsome. He used to be nice and caring. Now, he was this slightly overweight man that smelled of alcohol and acted as if he hates everyone. He had on some dirty, ripped jeans and an old tank top that was too big for him. Unlike Karkat and Kankri's untamable hair, Mr. Vantas' hair was everywhere by choice. His breath reeked of alcohol and I began wondering how he had a job.

"I'm..." I hesitated. Something in me told me to lie so I did, "I'm your son's art teacher. I just wanted to come check on Kankri."  
"The runt's asleep. He'll be back Monday. I'll make sure of it." he slammed the door in my face and I knew something was wrong. Running outside, I climbed up the building's fire escape and walked to Kankri's window quietly. Peaking inside, I saw his sleeping body in bed but noticed how trashed his room was. "That's odd..." I whispered to myself. He was usually neat and organised.  
"Can I kelp you?" a voice came from behind.

Jumping, I stumbled backwards to see a girl, no older than 10, staring at me. She had brown hair and pinkish eyes. Her skirt was a mixture of blue, green, and pink while her tank top resembled swimwear. Her swimming outfit was tied together with a pair of pink goggles. She looked... Familiar.

"Can I kelp you?" she asked again, taking a threatening stance. _Uhg,_ I thought, _fish puns._ I was a little surprised that this elementary schooler, no doubt, was standing up to a high schooler like myself. She looked very protective and I didn't really want to risk doing something that was suspicious when I wasn't where I belonged. So what if I was older an bigger than her? "I was just checking on my friend Kankri- I swear." she looked me up and down.  
"You wouldn't happen to be Cronus Ampora, would you?" I furrowed my brow and nodded, making her relax and smile.  
"Feferi Pexies," she replied, sticking her hand out, "I'm fronds with your brother and next door neighbors to Karcrab and Kancritter." I shook her hand before pulling away sharply, "Pexies," I hissed, "You're related to Meenah." Her face took a disgusted look,  
"she's my cousin." I could tell that Feferi didn't like Meenah, but my glare only softened.

Sitting down, I swung my legs off the end of the metal fire escape, ignoring the Meenah look-a-like as she followed. "I hear and sea  
a lot if fishy things," she muttered. I raised my eyebrows, starting to get worried.  
"Oh, like what?" I asked, wondering whether or not I could trust this girl,  
"Pike yelling, crying, and things breaking,"  
"that explains the state of Kankri's room." She nodded,  
"that was earlier this afternoon and I was glad to find out neither Karcrab or Kancritter were here. Whale..." her voice trailed off, face now contorting to worry.  
"What?" I asked as she shifted,  
"Everyfin was calm until Kancritter came home. Once he walked in, the door slammed shut and I heard pounding. I'm next door so I can't sea much but I hear everyfin. Mostly I hear Kancritter's music but when something gets reely bad, it gets cut off." she stopped and looked at me, "I'm concherned about them. Karcrab always seemed off but when his mom died, he started coming to school with his arms wrapped up," my breath hitched, "I asked aboat it, but he told me naut to. I don't know what to do."

So Kankri was a victim of child abuse.


End file.
